Jean-Luc Godard
1)Truffaut's films are consistent in both theme and formal technique.
2)Godard's films are extremely inconsistent
3)His films take a variety of formal approaches
4)Uses form to reflect his political views
5)He once said, "all you need to make a good film is a girl and a fun."
His best known film, Breathless (1960)
1)It does feature both a girl and a gum
2)Is influenced by the gangster films and film noirs of 1930's-40's
3)It stars Jean-Paul Belmondo (Michel and Jean Seberg (Patricia)
4)They're a couple on the run for a murder Michel commits
Mast & Kawin explain that Breathless is his closest work to Truffaut. Although parts of the film are
highly conventional, Godard employs unconventional formal devices throughout its narrative. The film breaks us away from the illusion of the "invisible style" of Hollywood.
M&K suggest that the strength of Godard's ealy work lies in his ability to catch elusive moment of joy or pain with unconventional narrative techniques
Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
1)a detached study of a woman
2)she becomes a sex worker after leaving her husband and son.
3)Film avoids a "Hollywood" ending
4)told in 12 episodes
5)each preceded by a title card
Later Godard
1) As his career evolves so does his formal technique.
2) He released a 3-D picture to critical acclaim: Goodbye to Language (2014)
3)In Praise of Love (2001) begins in b&w and shifts halfway to digital color video.
Scene from Breathless
1)Godard used a small crew and no lights
2)Godard lived at the hotel after returning from South America in early 50's
3)The scene relies on conversation rather than elaborate cinematography to create its effect.
Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960): B&W
Here's a film clip - not the one we saw in class : Click Here
I described clip from class here:
It's a scene where she walks into her room and sees him there. I can't be alone when I want to be. He's being charming. I always fall for girls who aren't my type. I'm going back to sleep.
She has a teddy bear. She's American with a hard American accept. She's a rich kid her dad is paying for her to go to the Sorbonne. They're talking very casually about sex and other partners and in passing she says she's pregnant it's probably yours- it's never brought up again. It's a long, slow seduction scene. He talks impassioned and she is very emotionless. My words - she's out of his league but he has enough bravado to pull it off and seduce her. He's a bad boy, street rascal with just a handful of change in his pocket. It's a 24 minute scene. I think its the biggest scene in the movie.
I'm not much of a looker, but i'm a boxer - the actor was and They added that into the film about him.
(I actually hated this scene the first time and didn't look forward to having to see it again in class)
Vivre Sa Vie (1962)
1) Takes a surprising departure from its serious tone
2)Nana (Anna Karina) dances in a pool hall.
3)QUENTIN TARANTINO paid homage to the scene in Pulp Fiction (1994) in the dance
contest scene in Jack Rabbit Slim's
Vivre Sa Vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962): B&W
7 minute scene - hotel scene - pretty stylish young girl gets a drink at the bar.
She goes up some miniature stairs to a guy playing pool. Got any cigarettes. Her guy is hanging out upstairs with guys. He tries to make her laugh blowing up an invisible balloon and making faces. She says you ought to be my man - so i guess he isn't. A blondish guy goes to get her cigarettes. She turns on the jukebox and Elvis type of song and she dances around the guys playing pool. She's really cool and stylish. The guys watch her dance. She's dancing alone. It's a fun and stylish clip.
Here is the clipClick Here
A Criterion Review of Vivre Sa Vie Click Here
BAMPF article on the movie's style Click Here
Here's a picture I found of two French New Wave directors Chabrol and Godard on the set of Breathless.
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